Starting device for vapor-converters



A'. L. ATHERTON.

STARTING DEVICE FOR VAPOR CONVERTERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. I918.

1,37 1 ,966, Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR 51/ W A/frml, Athertan stares carton.

ALFRED L. ATHEB'E'ON, 0F EDGEWGGD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASQIGNWR, '10 L- HV'GHOUSE ELEC'JLEIG AND MANUFACTURING CQMPANY, A CGEQPORATION 03 f SYLVANIA.

STARTING DEVICE FOR VAPOR-CONVERTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. is, rear.

Continuation of application Serial No. 83,997, filed November 29, 1915. This application filed March 19, 1918. Serial No. 223,384.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. A'rHnn'roN, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Startin Devices for Vapor-Converters. of which Fhe following is a specification, this being a continuation of copending application, Serial No. 63,997, filed November 29, 1915.

My invention relates to starting apparatus for vapor converters. and it has for its object to provide adevice of the character indicated that shall be'simple and inexpensive to manufacture and efiective in operation. I

In the accompanying drawing. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a vapor converter, together with its attendant supply. load and starting circuits and starting apparatus, embodying a preferred form of my invention: and Fig. Q-is' a diagrammatic view of a modification of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

In the ordinary vapor converter, it is necessary that the electrode reluctance at the cathode be broken down before rectification can begin. One method of accom plishiug this purpose comprises an auxiliary anode which is brought intocontact with the cathode by means of tilting magnet which tilts the converter. When the auxiliary anode and the cathode are in engagement, the winding of the tilting magnet is short-circuited and allows the converter to return to its original position,.

breaking the contact between the electrodes, whereupon, a small spark is struck and suit able conditions are established for the initiation of a power are trom the main anodes. An objection to this method isthat the tilting magnet must be energized from a winding which may be short-circuited with out any damage resulting therefrom. This necessitates the use of a special additional transformer which adds materially to the cost of the outfit.

By my invention. I provide a converter in which the auxiliary anode and the cathode are in contact with each other and in series with the winding of the tilting magnet when the converter is in its inactive position. When a current passes through the anode-cathode mercury connection the tilting magnet is energized to break the mercury connection, thus producing the necessary starting spark. The source providing current for the tilting magnet is never short-circuited and may. therefore, be a part of the main transformer. I provide also means whereby the converter may he oscillated continuously, alternately making and breaking an alternating-current circuit between the cathode and an anode until such time as a break occurs during an alternating-current wave of such polarity as to destroy the negative-electrode reluctance of the cathode. The oscillating device thereupon operates as a locking device to hold the converter in such position that the auxiliarv anode is out of contact with the cathode.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing for a more'detailed understanding of my invention. I show a converter of the ordinary type at 1. said converter comprising an evacuated glass container provided with main anodes 2 and 3. a main liquid 7 cathode 4 and an auxiliary starting anode 5. The container 1 is pivotally mounted and the upper portion thereof tends to be drawn to the left by a suitable spring 7. The upper portion oi the container 1 may be drawn to the right, in oppo ition to the spring 7. by a suitable spring 8 connected to the armature 9 of a tilting magnet 10 provided with energizing windings 11 and. 12. The main anodes 2 and 3 are connected. respectively. to the terminals of a transformer winding 13. as is customary in the art. and the cathode 4 is connected to the midpoint of the winding 13 through the winding 12 and a load 14 which may be any direct-current apparatus. such, for example. as a storage battery. The winding 11 is connected between the right-hand terminal 0? the winding 13 and the starting anode 5 through a suitable current-limiting device 15. a

Having thus described the arrangement of the system, the operation is as follows. At the outset, the.co ntainer 1 is in the fullline position, under the influence of the spring 7 and the mercury in the anode 5 is in contact with that in the cathode 4. Upon energization of the winding 13, alternating current flows from the right-hand terminal of the source through the rheostat 15, the actuatin coil 11, the-electrodes 5 and 4;, the holding coil 12 and the battery 14; and returns to the midpoint of the source. Assuming a current wave to flow through the path in such direction as to pass from the cathode 4- to the anode 5, a powerful spark will ensue because said wave is assisted by the volta e of the battery 14 but the break between file cathode and the starting anode brought about by the energization of the magnet 10 will. produce no rectification, because, with the assumed operation of current flow, the negative-electrode reluctance of the auxiliary anode 5 only is broken down, and the container returns to its aforementioned osition. When, however, a cur rent wave ows in the starting circuit from the anode 5 to the cathode 1; that is to say, in opposition to the eleotromotive force of the batter 14, there will be a pronounced spark at the surface of the cathode because of the necessary preponderance of the voltage of the supply in any battery-charging system, and said spark breaks. down the negative-electrode reluctance of the cathode 4. The rectification of load current from the anodes 2 and 3 at once ensues, and the passage of the load current through the winding 12 maintains the armature 9 in its closed position, holding the container 1 in the dotted-line position, with a break between the anode 5 andthe cathode 4, and

.- resultant non-energization of the winding 11. The rectifier is maintained in active condition by inherent leakage reactance in the supply transformer or, if desired, by the insertion of inductive apparatus in the load circuit.

It will be observed that, by my structure. I combine the functions of the distinct tilting and locking magnets hitherto employed and, at the same time, provide a very eflec tive method of starting.

I find, with ordinary ratios of oscillating mass to spring constants, that the container does not swing over to the operative position at once but tends to oscillate between the springs 7 and 8. with the armature 9 in the closed position.

I find also, with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, that half-wave impulses flowing from the cathode at to the anode 5, during the starting operation. may cause objectionable noises and vibration.

In order to avoid such difiiculties, recourse may he had to the system shown in Fig. 2, wherein the arrangement of elements is the same as in Fig. 1. except that the sprin is replaced by a gravity control, provic ed by permitting the vertical axis of the container 1 to swing approximately'20 from the vertical in the inoperative position, and, furthermore, the starting current is derived from an auxiliary transformer winding 16 rather than from the main transformer winding.

The gravity control permits little or no path, from the winding 16, through the mag net winding 11, contacts 19 of the relay 17 and, through cathode 4 and the anode 5, back to the winding 16. The current passing through the winding 11 tilts the container to break the mercury connection between the cathode at and anode 5, as previously described. If the negativeelectrode reluctance of the cathode 4 is broken down, current will immediately flow from the anodes Qand 3 to the cathode 4 and through the winding 18 of the relay 17 causing the relay 17 to operate to connect the winding 16 across the winding 11 through contacts 20, thus preventing any interruptions of the tilting-coil circuit after the converter has started to operate.

If current is flowing from the cathode 4 to the anode 5 at the instant at which the mercury connection is broken, the negativeclectrode reluctance of the anode 50111 is broken down, causing current to' tend to flow from the anodes2 and 3 to the anode 5. This is, of course, objectionable. In order to prevent this, the auxiliary secondary winding 16 is made of such value that the sum of the voltages of the auxiliary winding 16, the battery 14, the voltage drops throughout the circuit and the voltage of that half of the winding 13 which is connected to the positively charged electrode is equal to the voltage of the other half of the winding 13,

which. being negatively charged, is not carrying any current. This will result in current flowing to the auxiliary anode 5 dur ing that half of the wave in which the current of the auxiliary winding 16 aids that of the main winding but will result in no current flowing in the following half wave, during which the current of the auxiliary winding opposes that of the main winding. This will. of course, cause a break in. the rectified current strcamand cause the converter to return to its original position and begin the tilting opcruiion over again.

While I have shown my invention in its preferred form, it will be obvious to those skilled. in the art that it is susceptible of various minor changes and modificationswithout departing from the spirit thereof, and

I desire, therefore; that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the .prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a transformer comprising a main and an auxiliary secondary winding, of a vapor converter comprising two main anodes connected to the terminals of said main winding, a cathode connected to substantially the mid-point of said main winding through a battery. and an auxiliary anode connected to said cathode through said auxiliary winding, the al ,e-

braic sum of the electromotive forces of t e auxiliary winding, the battery. the potential drops throughout the circuit and one-half of the main winding being substantially equal to the electromotiv'e force of the other half of the main windin 2. The combination with a transformer provided with a secondary winding and an auxiliary source of electromotive force. of a vapor converter comprising a pivotally mounted container provided with two main anodes, an auxiliary anode and a cathode, and a magnet adapted to tilt said container.

said main anodes being connected to the" being connected. to the terminals of said main winding, said cathode being connected to substantially the mid-point of said main winding, and said auxiliary anode being connected in series with said cathode through said auxiliary winding and through the energizing winding of said magnet during the starting operation.

4. The combination witlna transformer comprising a main and an auxiliary secondary winding, of a vapor converter comprising a pivotally mounted container provided with two main anodes, an auxiliary anode and a cathode. and a magnet adapted to tilt said container. said main anodes being connected to the terminals of said main winding, said cathode being connected to substantially the mid-point of said main winding, andsaid auxiliary winding being connected to the energizing winding of said tilting coil at all times andthrough the said auxiliary anode and cathode during startin operation.

5. ecombination with a transformer flow from said auxiliar seconda winding to the energizing windingof said tilting magnet through said auxiliary anode and said cathode, and which, when energized provides a path for current to flow from said auxiliary secondary winding to I the energizing winding of said tilting magnet without passing through said auxiliary anode and said cathode.

6. The combination with a vapor converter comprising a pivotally mounted exhausted container provided with main anodes, a liquid cathode and an auxiliary anode in contact with said cathode in the idle position, of a tilting magnet for said container. said magnet being provided with an operating winding connected in series with said cathode, said auxiliary anode and a source of alternating current when in its starting position and connected directly to said source of current when in its operative position.

7. The combination with a transformer comprising a main and an auxiliary secondary winding. of a vapor converter comprising two main anodes connected to the terminals of said main winding. a cathode connected to substantially the mid-point of said main winding through a direct-current load, and an auxiliary anode connected to said cathode through said auxiliary windmg. whereby, in the event that the arc starts with'the auxiliary winding as a cathode, the electromotive forces of said auxiliary-winding and of the respective sections of said main-winding alternately oppose and assist each other during successive half-cycles, the number of turns of said auxiliary-winding being such that the arc is killed during the half-wave in which said electromotive forces oppose each other.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my npme this 18th day of March,

ALFRED L. ATHEZRTON. 

